Dehumidifier

ABSTRACT

A dehumidifier includes a body having an inlet and an outlet; an evaporator, disposed at the body, for exchanging heat with air suctioned through the inlet; a condenser spaced from the evaporator; a first airflow path for flowing air suctioned through the inlet into the evaporator; and a second airflow path for flowing air suctioned through the inlet into a gap between the condenser and the evaporator without passing through the evaporator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2013-0153420, filed on Dec. 10, 2013, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present embodiment relates to a dehumidifier.

In general, the dehumidifier lowers indoor humidity by suctioning wetair at an indoor space into the interior of a case, lowering humidityafter passing through a heat exchanger configured with a condenser andevaporator allowing a refrigerant to flow, and again discharging thedehumidified air into the indoor space.

SUMMARY

Embodiments provide a dehumidifier capable of enhancing comfort bylowering a discharging temperature of dehumidified air.

In one embodiment, a dehumidifier includes: a body having an inlet andan outlet; an evaporator, disposed at the body, for exchanging heat withair suctioned through the inlet; a condenser spaced apart from theevaporator; a first airflow path for flowing air suctioned through theinlet into the evaporator; and a second airflow path for flowing airsuctioned through the inlet into a gap between the condenser and theevaporator without passing through the evaporator.

In another embodiment, a dehumidifier includes: a body having an inletand an outlet; an evaporator, disposed at the body, for exchanging heatwith air suctioned through the inlet; and a condenser spaced apart fromthe evaporator, wherein one portion of the air suctioned through theinlet flows through the evaporator and then flows through the condenser,and another portion of the air suctioned through the inlet flows throughthe condenser after bypassing the evaporator.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dehumidifier according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a heat exchange unit according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptional view schematically showing air flow through thedehumidifier according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferredembodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodimentsare described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments maybe utilized and that logical structural, mechanical, electrical, andchemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certaininformation known to those skilled in the art. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Also, in the description of embodiments, terms such as first, second, A,B, (a), (b) or the like may be used herein when describing components ofthe present invention. Each of these terminologies is not used to definean essence, order or sequence of a corresponding component but usedmerely to distinguish the corresponding component from othercomponent(s). It should be noted that if it is described in thespecification that one component is “connected,” “coupled” or “joined”to another component, the former may be directly “connected,” “coupled,”and “joined” to the latter or “connected”, “coupled”, and “joined” tothe latter via another component.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to the presentinvention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dehumidifieraccording to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of theheat exchange unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is aconceptional view schematically showing air flow through thedehumidifier according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the dehumidifier 1 in the presentembodiment includes a body 10 for forming an outer shape. The body 10may include an inlet 102 for suctioning air, and an outlet 104 fordischarging dehumidified air.

As an example, the inlet 102 may be disposed at a side of the body 10,and the outlet 104 may be disposed at an upper side of the body 10, butlocations of the inlet 102 and the outlet 104 are not limited thereto inthe present embodiment.

The body 10 may further include a louver 110 for controlling a dischargedirection of dehumidified air to be discharged from the outlet 104 andopening and closing the outlet 104.

The body 10 may include a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansiondevice (not shown), and an evaporator 14, to dehumidify wet air. A heatexchange unit includes the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14.

The body 10 is provided with an accommodating portion 22 to accommodatethe heat exchange unit. The evaporator 14 and the condenser 12 may bearranged in parallel with the flow direction of air at the accommodatingportion 22. Further, air passing through the inlet 102 is dehumidifiedon passing through the evaporator 14, and is dried on passing throughthe condenser 12. That is, the condenser 12 is disposed downstream ofthe evaporator 14.

The evaporator 14 and the condenser 12 may be supported by a supportingbracket. The condenser 12 is supported by a first supporting bracket 41,and the evaporator 14 is supported by a second supporting bracket 42.

In addition, the first supporting bracket 41 and second supportingbracket 42 may be fastened by a fastening member, and the condenser 12and the evaporator 14 may be spaced by a constant gap in parallel withthe flow direction of air in the state that each of the supportingbrackets 41, 42 are fastened to each other. That is, a gap (G) is formedbetween the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14.

At least one of the first supporting bracket 41 or second supportingbracket 42 may be provided with at least one hole 43 to flow airsuctioned through the inlet 102 into the gap (G) between the condenser12 and the evaporator 14 without passing air suctioned through the inlet102 through the evaporator 14. At this time, the at least one hole 43may be formed longer in the direction crossing with the flow directionof air so that a flow rate passing through the hole 43 is increased. Asan example, the at least one hole 43 may be formed longer vertically inFIG. 3.

A plurality of holes 43 may be arranged in the direction crossing withthe flow direction of air in the case that at least one of the firstsupporting bracket 41 and the second supporting bracket 42 may beprovided with the plurality of holes 43. As an example, the plurality ofholes 43 may be arranged vertically in FIG. 3.

A top end of the evaporator 14 may be disposed at a location lower thanthe top end of the condenser 12. Therefore, a space (S) is formedbetween a top wall of the accommodating portion 22 and the top end ofthe evaporator 14. In addition, air suctioned through the inlet 102 mayflow into the space (S).

As another example, each of the supporting brackets 41, 42 may becoupled with the accommodating portion 22 in a spaced state withoutconnecting to each other. In this case, air may flow into the gap (G)between the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14 through the gap betweenthe supporting brackets 41, 42. That is, the gap between the supportingbrackets 41, 42 may form a second airflow path.

A top of the heat exchanger is disposed with a control box 23, and abottom of the evaporator 14 is disposed with a drain pan 25 forcollecting condensate water.

Further, the body 10 may further include a fan 15 for flowing air, adischarging guide 21 for discharging dehumidified air, and a water tank30 for storing condensate water generated during a dehumidificationprocess.

The body 10 may further include an operating portion 40 for inputtingcommands for operation of the dehumidifier. The operating portion 40 mayinclude a selecting portion for selecting a dehumidification mode.

In addition, the user may set a target temperature or a target humidityby using the operating portion 40. The compressor 11 and fan 15 arecontrolled according to the result of comparing the target temperaturewith a current temperature or of comparing the target humidity with acurrent humidity. As an example, when the current temperature reachesthe target temperature, the compressor 11 is stopped and the fan 15 isstopped or maintains a rotation state.

The present embodiment will be described about the airflow path.

Some air suctioned through the inlet 102 flows along a first airflowpath (P1). The first airflow path (P1) is a path through which airpasses through the evaporator 14.

Some other air suctioned through the inlet 102 flows along a secondairflow path (P2). The second airflow path (P2) is a path through whichair flows into the gap (G) between the condenser 12 and the evaporator14 through the at least one hole 43 without passing through theevaporator 14. Therefore, the at least one hole 43 defines the secondairflow path (P2). As an example, the second airflow path (P2) may bedisposed at the side of the evaporator. A left and right width of theaccommodating portion 22 may be larger than those of the evaporator 14to form the second airflow path (P2).

Some other air suctioned through the inlet 102 flows along a thirdairflow path. The third airflow path (P3) is a path through which airflows into the space (S) between the top wall of the accommodatingportion 22 and the top end of the evaporator 14 without passing throughthe evaporator 14.

In the present embodiment, a cross section of the airflow path for thefirst airflow path (P1) is larger than a sum of the cross sections ofthe airflow paths for the second airflow path (P2) and third airflowpath (P3).

Dehumidified air passing through the first airflow path (P1) andnon-dehumidified air passing through the second airflow path (P2) andthe third airflow path (P3) are combined at the gap (G) between thecondenser 12 and the evaporator 14, and then the combined air passesthrough the condenser 12.

Therefore, an air flow rate passing through the evaporator 14 is notnearly decreased, the flow rate passing through the condenser 12 issubstantially increased, and therefore the condensing temperature at thecondenser 12 may be lowered.

When the condensing temperature is lowered, evaporating efficiency forthe evaporator is enhanced, the temperature of air discharged throughthe outlet 104 is lowered, and therefore comfort is enhanced, thereby tominimize sensitivity dissatisfaction of a user.

Further, since the temperature of air discharged indoors is lowered,energy necessary for cooling the interior according to temperatureraising at the interior space may be reduced.

It is described that two supporting brackets are connected to each otherin the above embodiment, but, on the other hand, one supporting bracketis supported so that the condenser is spaced apart from the evaporatorand may have the hole simultaneously.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dehumidifier, comprising: a body having aninlet and an outlet; an evaporator disposed at the body, the evaporatorbeing configured to exchange heat with air passing through the inlet; acondenser spaced apart from the evaporator by a gap, the condenser beingconfigured to exchange heat with the air passing through the inlet; afirst airflow path configured to permit a flow of air from the inlet andinto the evaporator; and a second airflow path configured to permit aflow of air from the inlet and into the gap between the condenser andthe evaporator without passing through the evaporator.
 2. Thedehumidifier according to claim 1, wherein the condenser is disposeddownstream of the evaporator according to the flow of air.
 3. Thedehumidifier according to claim 1, wherein the second airflow path isprovided at a lateral side of the evaporator.
 4. The dehumidifieraccording to claim 1, further comprising: a first supporting bracket tosupport the condenser; and a second supporting bracket connected to thefirst supporting bracket to support the evaporator, wherein at least oneof the first supporting bracket and the second supporting bracket isprovided with at least one hole for forming a portion of the secondairflow path.
 5. The dehumidifier according to claim 4, wherein a flowof air through the at least one hole is in a direction crossing thedirection of air flowing along the first airflow path.
 6. Thedehumidifier according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of holes areformed in at least one of the first supporting bracket or the secondsupporting bracket, and wherein a flow of air through the plurality ofholes is in a direction crossing the flow direction of air flowing alongthe first airflow path.
 7. The dehumidifier according to claim 1,further comprising: a supporting bracket to support the condenser andthe evaporator so that the condenser and the evaporator are spaced fromeach other, wherein the supporting bracket is provided with at least onehole for forming a portion of the second airflow path.
 8. Thedehumidifier according to claim 7, wherein a flow of air through the atleast one hole is in a direction crossing the flow direction of airflowing along the first airflow path.
 9. The dehumidifier according toclaim 7, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in the supportingbracket, and wherein a flow of air through the plurality of holes is ina direction crossing the flow direction of air flowing along the firstairflow path.
 10. The dehumidifier according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a first supporting bracket to support the condenser; and asecond supporting bracket to support the evaporator, wherein a gapbetween the first supporting bracket and the second supporting bracketforms a portion of the second airflow path.
 11. The dehumidifieraccording to claim 1, further comprising: an accommodating portion inwhich the condenser and the evaporator are accommodated; and a thirdairflow path, formed between the accommodating portion and theevaporator, and configured to permit a flow of air from the inlet andinto the condenser without passing through the evaporator.
 12. Thedehumidifier according to claim 11, wherein a top end of the evaporatoris disposed at a location lower than a top end of the condenser suchthat a portion of the third airflow path is formed between the top endof the evaporator and the accommodating portion.
 13. The dehumidifieraccording to claim 12, wherein a cross-sectional area of the firstairflow path is larger than a sum of cross-sectional areas of the secondairflow path and the third airflow path.
 14. A dehumidifier, comprising:a body having an inlet and an outlet; an evaporator disposed at thebody, the evaporator being configured to exchange heat with air passingthrough the inlet; and a condenser spaced apart from the evaporator, thecondenser being configured to exchange heat with the air passing throughthe inlet, wherein a first portion of the air passing through the inletflows through the evaporator and then flows through the condenser, andwherein a second portion of the air passing through the inlet bypassesthe evaporator and then flows through the condenser.
 15. Thedehumidifier according to claim 14, wherein the second portion of theair passing through the inlet flows through the condenser after flowingpast a lateral side or a top end of the evaporator.
 16. The dehumidifieraccording to claim 14, wherein the second portion of the air passingthrough the inlet flows through the condenser after combining with airpassing through the evaporator.
 17. The dehumidifier according to claim14, wherein a top end of the evaporator is disposed at a location lowerthan a top end of the condenser.
 18. The dehumidifier according to claim14, further comprising: an accommodating portion in which the evaporatorand the condenser are accommodated, wherein the second portion of theair passing through the inlet flows between the evaporator and a wall ofthe accommodating portion.
 19. The dehumidifier according to claim 14,wherein an air flow amount passing through the evaporator is larger thanan air flow amount that bypasses the evaporator.
 20. The dehumidifieraccording to claim 14, further comprising: a supporting bracket tosupport at least one of the condenser and the evaporator, wherein thesupporting bracket is provided with at least one hole, and wherein thesecond portion of the air passing through the inlet flows through thehole.